The powerful Paisa businessman who was killed by hitmen leaving a Christian church in a high-end car

To the headquarters of Legal Medicine in Montería (Córdoba) relatives of a renowned rancher arrived from Córdoba to claim his body.

According to the criteria of

As they were informed, The autopsy indicated that he died after receiving several bullet impacts when he tried to get into his Toyota Prado truck, white, which was parked outside the well-known Centro Familiar Cristiano church.

The last call

A police report jcourt to which EL TIEMPO had access, indicates that the victim identified as Juan Carlos Gustavo Mejía Uribe, 63, was receiving a call on his cell phone when he was surprised by a hitman who had been at the religious service camouflaged among the parishioners.

In chambers ofThe moment in which the victim takes his cell phone and is approached by a man who shoots him twice is seen in the security with a weapon with a silencer.

In fact, People who were in the area only noticed the attack when the truck rolled and ended up crashed against a palm tree.

Business

TIME investigated and established that Mejía, a native of Caucasia, Antioquia, is a renowned rancher in Córdoba and also has businesses in the pharmaceutical sector.

Besides, that the businessman appears as the owner of several assets, among which are 2 apartments in the Suramericana sector in Medellín and one in Montería in the exclusive El Recreo sector. In addition, 9 cattle ranches in Caucasia (Antioquia), one farm located in Cereté (Córdoba) and another in San Martín (Meta).

The alleged extortion of the coal company

But TIME tHe had also established at the end of last year that Mejía had a process against him for alleged extortion of the Carbomax company. of Colombia SAS for events dating back to 2021.

In this file They point out that Mejía was being prosecuted for attempted aggravated extortion, because he had allegedly agreed with the leader of the Clan del Golfo, José Miguel De Moya Hernández, alias Julián or Chirimoya, to demand from the company Carbomax the sum of 2,000 million pesos under threat to stop the operation of the ‘El Campano’ mine.

Businessman He was granted house arrest, under the argument that he was the father and head of the family of a minor, in the absolute absence of the mother.

Freedom

THE TIME rrevealed on September 21 that the criminal court of the Montería Circuit (Córdoba) ordered Mejía to be released. At that time, Carbomax’s representative, criminal lawyer Jaime Granados, He told this newspaper that although it had been ordered to send him to prison, the decision was delayed and he was released.

The company was asking for an investigation into why the businessman was not sent to Las Mercedes prison (in Montería) as ordered, and why he was released under arguments that were described at the time as controversial, since the defense assured that the minor’s mother was not absent, as argued.

TIME communicated, at that time, with Mejía to find out his version of the events, but hung up the call. However, at that time this newspaper also contacted his lawyer, criminal lawyer Marlon Díaz, who said that his client was protected by the presumption of innocence and that they were attentive to the preparatory hearing for the trial.

What was the process about?

This newspaper contacted attorney Díaz again, who confirmed that the case against Mejía was in the preparatory stage of trial.

“Last April 30th I requested the exclusion due to illegality of the entire process because the complaint filed by Carbomax was not submitted to distribution and they directed him to a prosecutor who already had another case underway,” explained lawyer Díaz.

And he added: “AndThis appeal, in my opinion, was going to overturn the proceedings against my client. In fact, although the Prosecutor’s Office and the victims opposed it, the Attorney General’s Office supported my legal thesis”.

According to Mejía’s attorney, the judge in the case was going to make a decision on July 2. But the process is archived due to the death of the businessman.

However, toThe case against Javier Arango Godín is moving forward. He has claimed that he had a contract with Carbomax for the exploitation of the ‘El Campano’ coal mine and that the company had owed him and the murdered businessman money for breaching the contract. Arango Godín has an arrest warrant and according to Carbomax’s defense, he has not been declared in contumacy.

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